South Korea has approved a request by officials of a private foundation to visit North Korea to discuss the operation of a tech and science university the two Koreas jointly opened about a decade ago, the unification ministry said Friday.

The three officials of the Northeast Asia Foundation for Education and Culture were permitted to travel to Pyongyang from Monday to Thursday next week, according to the ministry.

The two Koreas opened the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology in Pyongyang in 2010. The foundation is a joint operator of the school.

They and the university are expected to discuss preparations for the autumn semester and events to mark the 10th anniversary of its foundation, the ministry said.

Their trip will mark the first of its kind since October 2015, when officials of the foundation traveled to Pyongyang to attend a seminar hosted by the anniversary. (Yonhap)